that may be. but that is not the way it worked out for love. basically, love became the third option and stands around in the corner to shoot a three much of the time.
melo is not about to become 3rd option on any team.
That's because this is what Love is.
Love is a big man who just wants to stand on the perimeter and shoot threes. That's what he's been for about the past four years - a stretch four. Ever since the 2012/13 season, one third of all Love's field goal attempts have been threes.
Looking at how Brad Stevens has been using Sully the past couple of years, I doubt it would that would change much if he came to Boston. He'd still stand around the perimeter shooting thees - just that he'd be shooting more of them, more frequently.
Kevin Love is a good player, and if he's your #2 or #3 option, in the correct system, then you can go far.
The problem is exactly that.
1) He has to be your #2 or #3 option in order for you to be successful, because he's not good enough anymore (or a natural enough a leader) to carry you as your #1 guy. We have already seen clear proof of that based on his time in Minnesota.
2) He has to be in the correct system to be make a real difference - we already have proof of that too, based on his time in Cleveland.
Kevin Love is somewhat of a paradox.
For him to excel individually (i.e. put up All-Star numbers) he needs to be in a #1 role where he can take a million shots and have the ball 24-7. For a team to excel WITH Love, he needs to be in a #2 or #3 role where he doesn't take a million shots and doesn't have the ball 24-7.
Melo is nothing like Kevin Love.
Melo is a clear alpha-dog. He carried his teams to the playoffs for 10 straight seasons, from 2003/04 (his rookie year, at 10 years old) until 2012/13...and in every one of those years he was clearly the best player on his team. Melo is a competitor and a winner, but he's only ever been on good (rather than great) teams, and as a result he's never really made a strong run at a title.
Melo led his Nuggest to the playoffs in 2003/04 as a rookie averaging 21/6/3, when the next best players on the team were Andre Miller (15/6/5), Voshon Lenard (14/2/3) and Nene Hilario (12/6/2).
Love couldn't lead his Timberwolves to the playoffs in 2013/14 as a 6 year veteran averaging 26/13/4, when the next best players were Kevin Martin (19/3/3), Nikola Pekovic (18/9) and Ricky Rubio (10/9/4).
Love is a good player, but he's not a franchise player - he's not that "#1 go-to guy". Which would be perfectly find if not for the fact that he's being paid like one - for a really long time.
Melo IS a franchise player, and he IS a "#1 go-to guy". He's on the decline and is not quite the player he was a couple of years ago, no denying that. But he still has the heart and the killer instinct, and the ability to take over games on a fairly consistent basis. He's still a guy that every opposing team needs to gameplan against every time they face him.
I'm not sure Love falls in that same category anymore.